Somalia: Jubaland Vice President stranded in Mandera, guarded by KDF troops

MANDERA, Kenya - For five days now, it has emerged, Jubaland Vice President Mohamud Sayid Aden has been holed in Mandera town, North East of the capital Nairobi.

A military source told Garowe Online that the Jubaland VP was booked into a Mandera hotel by government officials before the KDF taking over 'for security reasons'.

"What I can tell you is that he (Sayid) is in one of the hotels. I left Mandera over the weekend and I left him there. It's for security reasons," the officer said in confidence.

According to the officer, the VP was "prevented from visiting Bula Hawa by some military forces in Gedo before taking refuge in Kenya."

The KDF team, he says, took charge given the 'mutual relationship between Jubaland and Kenya in the fight against Al-Shabaab'.

Efforts to get clarification from KDF Communication Director Brigadier Bogita Ongeri were futile since he could not respond to several calls.

But the officer's statement corroborates a letter sent by Jubaland authorities to AU and UN, in which they complained about the decision by Ethiopian Non-AMISOM troops to block Sayid from accessing Beled Hawo in Gedo.

In the letter last week, Jubaland claimed, non-AMISOM Ethiopian troops blocked Sayid from accessing the town, threatened to arrest Jubaland supporters and incited locals to demonstrate.

"Organizing and forcing a demonstration by civilians against the Jubaland state, blocking the first Deputy President and his delegation from entering Beled Hawo town and threatening mass arrests of civilians," states the letter.

Behind the plot, Jubaland argued, is the mega plan by FGS to force a repeat of presidential and parliamentary polls which were concluded in August this year.

Sheikh Ahmed Madobe was announced the winner albeit controversially. Mohamed Farmajo has refused to recognize his victory, accusing Kenya of rigging him in against the will of people.

But in the letter, Madobe argued, "The government of Villa Somalia strongly desires to install handpicked loyalists in all federal member states and they see Jubaland as an obstacle towards this goal."

In the event FGS succeeds in taming Jubaland, authorities in Kismayo said, Farmajo would use 'his imposed loyalists to rig 2020/21 polls' to state a continuity in Somalia.

The VP was visiting Gedo to ascertain the situation after it emerged that top officials from Jubaland had been forced to surrender 'jurisdictional authority' to FGS and Ethiopian troops.

Jubaland authorities have since the immediate withdrawal of the Ethiopian Non-AMISOM troops, claiming that they are 'a threat to insecurity and stability' in the state.

"Therefore, we strongly ask AU, AMISOM, UN, and AU to remove all Non-AMISOM Ethiopian troops from Jubaland. Until such actions are undertaken, we strongly advise AMISOM troops to strictly adhere to peacekeeping zones."

Before the Gedo drama, Jubaland had written a letter to UN envoy James Swan raising questions about the presence of Non-AMISOM Ethiopian soldiers in Gedo.

While Swan is yet to issue a comprehensive statement, he told United Nations Security Council on Thursday that "With Parliamentary elections also expected in Somaliland in 2020, it is important political freedoms and human rights are respected there too".

Jubaland is a close ally of KDF. In October this year, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale was among those who attended Madobe's inauguration in Kismayo.

GAROWE ONLINE